🔎 UNIDENTIFIED 1887 Imitation of a half sovereign

[Casey13]

Hi everyone! Hope everyone had a great Christmas!
I was out at an earlier 1900s homesite early this morning when I found this tiny holed coin. I first thought it was a brass ear ring. Couldn't tell what it said until I got home and cleaned it. I believe on the face side it reads imitation of L.G Lauer Nurnberg and the reverse reads 1887 Imitation of a Half Sovereign. I guess it's a reproduction of a real sovereign. But was it copied in 1887? It looks pretty old lol.
Thanks for looking!

 

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[pepperj]

It seems like you're find is the young version of Victoria.
There is one celebration of the 50th

Powerhouse Collection - Imitation Half Sovereign coin

Toy Coin, Imitation Half Sovereign, Golden Jubilee, Victoria (1837-1901), brass, Nuremberg, Germany, 1887

collection.maas.museum

 

[Red-Coat]

Neat, but not valuable unfortunately. This is play money for kids, produced by Ludwig Christian Lauer of Nuremberg, Germany. He was renowned as a maker of medals and tokens, having begun business in 1848 and renamed it “coin mint L. Chr. Lauer” in 1860 when he expanded to production of other related items. The legend on yours says “L. CHR. LAUER”.

He died in 1873, but the company continued under the supervision of his wife and three sons, producing play money like this for export to various European countries in a multitude of denominations until about 1910. The date on the coin may or may not correspond to the actual date of production.

Holing it for use as a charm would have been done at some later date by whoever owned it.

 

[Casey13]

It seems like you're find is the young version of Victoria.
There is one celebration of the 50th

Powerhouse Collection - Imitation Half Sovereign coin

Toy Coin, Imitation Half Sovereign, Golden Jubilee, Victoria (1837-1901), brass, Nuremberg, Germany, 1887

collection.maas.museum

Thank you pepperj!!

 

[Casey13]

Neat, but not valuable unfortunately. This is play money for kids, produced by Ludwig Christian Lauer of Nuremberg, Germany. He was renowned as a maker of medals and tokens, having begun business in 1848 and renamed it “coin mint L. Chr. Lauer” in 1860 when he expanded to production of other related items. The legend on yours says “L. CHR. LAUER”.

He died in 1873, but the company continued under the supervision of his wife and three sons, producing play money like this for export to various European countries in a multitude of denominations until about 1910. The date on the coin may or may not correspond to the actual date of production.

Holing it for use as a charm would have been done at some later date by whoever owned it.

Thank you so much Red-Coat!
Thats amazing how much detail they could put on a small piece of play money back then.

 

[Red-Coat]

Thank you so much Red-Coat!
Thats amazing how much detail they could put on a small piece of play money back then.

Impressive indeed. In some instances these kinds of toy coins were given away as sets in presentation cases to prospective customers. Although they then ultimately ended up in the hands of the customers' children as playthings, they also served as a demonstration of the skill of the engravers employed by the company to attract more business.

 

[Casey13]

Impressive indeed. In some instances these kinds of toy coins were given away as sets in presentation cases to prospective customers. Although they then ultimately ended up in the hands of the customers' children as playthings, they also served as a demonstration of the skill of the engravers employed by the company to attract more business.

Thank you Red-Coat!
You knowledge on so many of the finds on here is much appreciated.

 

[CRUSADER]

Yeap, IDed as Kids play money!